


My Brother's Lover

by ibreathethroughwords



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Unrequited Love, Young Love, dori needs to give Ori his space, dwalin is bad at romance, family arguments, helicopter parenting, sibling power abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-16
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 15:32:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/763019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibreathethroughwords/pseuds/ibreathethroughwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ori is head over heels for Dwalin, and then Nori comes home and accidentally steals him away. Upset, Ori sinks further and further into depression until Thorin takes notice and sticks his nose in to fix everything.</p><p>Imported over from "A Different World Altogether"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [charliechick117](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliechick117/gifts), [Moonrose91](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrose91/gifts).



> Requested by charliechick117: "Oh oh here's one that I thought up while doing dishes. Nori/Dwalin with onesided Ori->Dwalin where Dwalin is the best thing that ever happened to Nori and he keeps Nori in line and all that and Ori's torn between jealousy and happiness because he's the whole reason Nori and Dwalin even met..."
> 
> Also this is now going to be a modern AU because how the sequel to this ended up going.

If he was honest with himself, Ori would admit that he wasn’t at all sure whether or not he was happy for his second-oldest brother. Ori’d had a huge crush on Dwalin for years before his brother returned, and he was pretty sure they’d been close to something before Nori had to saunter in and ruin it all. His heart ached every time he had to see them together (which was quite often, unfortunately for poor Ori), but at the same time it was really nice to see Nori doing decently for a change.

Nori wasn’t stealing, hadn’t been in jail in months, and he seemed to be keeping on the right side of the law. He’d put on weight, socialized a lot more with his brothers (it didn’t stop him from fighting with Dori), and he’d made an honest effort to get to know Ori better.

It was a nice change, especially since he knew that now Dori was sleeping at night and wasn’t up late worrying himself to pieces over Nori. His older brother was quite well-rested now and seeing him actually happy for a change made Ori feel very guilty about being so jealous.

But he was. They had been so close to doing something about the attraction (which Ori knew from Kili was very much mutual) between them and if Nori hadn’t shown up he thought it was highly likely the two of them would have been married already. As it was, he withdrew into his books, forced himself to smile when it was expected of him, and largely tried to ignore everything and everyone at gatherings of any kind. All anybody seemed to want to talk about was the new couple, and how well they looked, and how cute they were together, and when were they going to get married already?

It made his stomach twist with guilt even as the jealousy felt like fire in a forge in his body and tightened his chest with the heat of the emotion. There was nothing he could do about it but try to ignore it. Trying to talk to anybody about it hadn’t worked out at all, usually ending with people telling him he should just be happy for Nori and that he would get over his feelings for Dwalin eventually, and maybe reading one of his books would make him fee better. It stung and it made him feel like his feelings didn’t matter at all - they certainly hadn’t to Dwalin, who had to have known how Ori felt, considering the sheer number of times they had nearly kissed.

It didn’t matter if he felt jealous or happy, Ori decided in the end, so long as looking at them made him want to never feel again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Moonrose91 who commented: "I would love to see this expanded, for Ori to tell someone who doesn't shunt his feelings to the side like that.
> 
> Because it wrecked my heart, but I kind-of just want to see Ori break down and start sobbing his heart out while someone else hugs him.
> 
> Or flails there uselessly until they hug hesitantly and awkwardly.
> 
> Either or."

He had tried repeatedly to get out of going to Kili's birthday party because he knew Dwalin-and-Nori would be there. They were definitely Dwalin-and-Nori now, barely separate beings at all in Ori's point of view, and he didn't want to see them again after having to suffer through them at dinner the previous night. The two of them had gotten an apartment together, which left Ori alone at home with just Dori. It was nice not to have both of his brothers there to smother him and be overprotective, but he didn't think it was worth the trade off.

It definitely wasn't worth it if Dori was going to keep trying to do all the smothering for both him and Nori.

Ori was being forced into attending Kili's 21st, having been threatened with being dragged along against his will, and he knew Dori could manhandle him easily. He was happy for Kili, had even gotten him a present (the latest sequel of whatever video game it was Kili was obsessed with at the moment), but he had intended to send it along with Dori and stay at home and cry.

Or something.

It definitely didn't encourage him to want to go when he was already in a bad mood from dealing with Dori. Everything he did was wrong, from the dishes (he had done them before his homework and then forgotten to put them away), to vacuuming the living room (who cared about putting some smelly powder stuff down first?), to how he sat on the couch ("For the last time, Ori, feet off the furniture!"). He'd gotten in trouble for being late to class, for mouthing off back to Dori, for trying to hang out with Kili after class instead of coming straight home, for not wearing the clothes Dori picked out for him...

The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the family when he could have a night to himself. 

Dori manhandled him out the door and into the car and Ori glared out the window and didn't say a word to him the whole way there, ignoring Dori's lecture about how he didn't know what had gotten into Ori (he totally did, but Dori wasn't going to acknowledge how selfish his youngest brother was being), but he had better behave better than he had the last few weeks, or so help him, Ori would be grounded - and he didn't care that he was 20. They arrived, and Ori put on his best "No, nothing is wrong with me" face, quietly greeting friends and family and trying not to wilt under Dori's watchful gaze. He thought briefly about trying to hook Dori up with someone, but decided that would be too annoying to deal with while he was stuck living at home.

Everything was fine until Dwalin and Nori showed up. Ori greeted them both with smiles and hugs, doing his best to not let anybody realize how strained they were. Everyone sat down to dinner and drinking, and Ori was stuck between Dori and Dwalin. He kept his eyes to his plate and held his tongue and do his best to ignore the warmth radiating from his brother's boyfriend. Dori seemed to be loosening up a bit at least, and didn't fuss at him too much over his food choices, though he did try to encourage him to at least eat a bit of his salad.

When dinner was done and everyone free to mingle Ori used every little trick about disappearing he could remember Nori teaching him behind Dori's back when he was a teen and slipped from Thorin's backyard to the side of the house when nobody was looking. There was a large tree there that he, Fili, Kili, and Gimli had always been found of climbing on to escape Bombur's daughters as boys, and he climbed it now, hoping to escape different reasons. Unlike Fili and Kili, Ori was still slight enough to make it up into the higher branches where he was mostly obscured by leaves. He sat there, hands shaking, and tried to get himself to take several deep breaths to calm down.

He was miserable, and he felt so guilty for feeling that way. Ori sat on a thick branch and pulled his knees up to his chest. There had to be a way to get out from under Dori, at least, since he couldn't do anything about Nori stealing Dwalin from him, but Ori couldn't think of anything. If he tried to move out or into the dorms he knew Dori would threaten to stop paying his tuition and if he told anybody in the family about that they would just laugh it off as Dori wanting to make sure he was safe and still getting good grades. Ori wasn't even allowed to hold a job for fear of his grades slipping, though Dori usually gave him an allowance (not that he'd seen a dime of it since Dwalin-and-Nori got together, thanks to his "bad attitude").

Ori was so caught up in his misery that he didn't even notice someone was beneath him until he smelled the smoke from Thorin's brand of cigarettes wafting up to his perch. As quietly as he could Ori shifted to peer down. The young patriarch of their family was leaning against the tree and smoking. Ori suppressed a groan. Now he was stuck up here!

He nearly fell out of the tree when Thorin started talking to him. "Dori's looking for you," he said casually.

Not even bothering to ask how Thorin had found him, Ori groaned and let his head fall back against the trunk. "I'd rather not be nagged to death for a few more minutes if it's all the same to you."

Thorin chuckled and put out his cigarette before climbing up into the branches to sit a bit below Ori. "I didn't tell him where you were. You look like you've been having a hard time today."

His tone was so unassuming and nonjudgmental that Ori couldn't really help himself from answering a bit, though he reminded himself that it was not Thorin's burden and he ought to keep the rest to himself, because nobody wanted to hear it. There had been no sympathy so far, and Ori was pretty sure that by this point he didn't deserve any. What sort of selfish asshole couldn't get over his own feelings and be happy for his brother?

"I'm just tired," he said, and tried to give Thorin a smile. It came out weak, and they both knew it.

"Don't give me that," Thorin scolded lightly. His tone was still gentle and friendly, and Ori relaxed a little at not being yelled at for the half-lie. "You've been like this for weeks and you aren't fooling anybody. Out with it now, Ori. I won't tell Dori unless it's something incredibly awful."

"It's a secret," Ori said instead.

Thorin climbed up a little higher, testing the branches as he went. There was a thick one next to Ori's, and he sat on that, glad it held his weight. "I won't tell a soul unless it's necessary," he promised. "Or unless you've done something dangerous or illegal."

Ori shook his head. "No, nothing like drugs or murder. I just..." He swallowed and looked away. "It's Dwalin and Nori."

There was silence from the next branch over and Ori risked a glance. Understanding seemed to have dawned on Thorin's face. He reached out and put a hand on Ori's shoulder. "You and Dwalin were flirting an awful lot before Nori came back to us," he commented suspiciously.

The younger man nodded. "I had thought something was going to come of it. Kili swore Dwalin was interested and we had plans for coffee later in the week and then Nori came back." He sounded miserable, he knew, probably even a bit pathetic when his voice cracked like that. Thorin squeezed his shoulder though, and it was the most comforting touch he'd had and the most kindness he'd been shown in weeks.

"I'm such an ass," he continued softly when Thorin stayed silent. "Such a selfish asshole. What kind of a person can't get over his own feelings and be happy for his own brother? I could deal with it maybe if Dori's wasn't being so overbearing and controlling, but I just..." Ori trailed off to wipe away the tears that were starting to fall. "Sorry. You're the only person that's listened to me in ages. Everyone else just kind of brushes me off if I say I need to talk about it."

Thorin regarded Ori silent for a moment, and Ori feared he was being judged and found wanting. Thorin certainly looked furious about something. "Who have you tried talking to about this?" he asked.

The question caught Ori by surprise. "Er... let's see. Bilbo first, Fili, Kili, Balin, you, Gloin, Gimli, Legolas, Bofur, Bombur, pretty much all of Bombur's older kids, and Dori. They all just told me I was young and I'd get over it eventually and that's.... it. Well, not Dori. Dori gave me a lecture on how selfish I was being, and he was right, of course, I'm being completely stupid about it and I ought to know better by my age," Ori paused and took a breath that came out in shudders and dragged tears from his eyes. "I don't have anybody I can talk to about this. I tried a second time with some of them and they just... I guess they didn't want to listen to me. I should know better than to inconvenience them like that, I guess. I just thought my family would understand. I thought they would try to help."

Ori wiped his eyes again and looked down at knees, sure he was going to catch hell from Thorin now for bothering him with his stupid emotions too. The scolding didn't come, though, and Ori looked up at him. Thorin looked mad, but it didn't seem to be directed at him.

"Let's get out of this tree and go somewhere more private," Thorin suggested. Ori nodded and they climbed down together. Thorin led him into the house (which was a bit more like a mansion, really) and into his study, where he locked the door behind him. The room was dominated along one wall by a large stone fireplace, and on either side of it were large, tinted windows that looked out over the backyard. Ori could see Dori and Balin dancing way too close together for his comfort, but at least Dori was distracted. He turned away from the sight of Dwalin and Nori kissing, and dropped down onto the sofa that didn't face the backyard with a low groan.

Thorin pulled the curtains that covered the windows fully closed before he turned on the lights, trying to avoid giving away their location. He sat down next to Ori and tugged him into a one-armed hug. Ori didn't resist it, starved as he was for physical comfort. He wrapped his arms around Thorin's waist and cried into his shoulder. His "Uncle" Thorin let him cry himself out, offering Ori tissues as needed and giving him the comfort he desperately craved.

When he had cried himself out Ori tried to pull away, quite embarrassed with himself, but Thorin wouldn't let him. It seemed that much hadn't changed from when he and Thorin's nephews had been kids, and Thorin had developed a habit of making sure they stayed right where they could hear whatever he needed to say. Ori didn't fight him, just flopped his head back down onto Thorin's soaked shoulder in misery.

"You are not an inconvenience, Ori, and nobody - especially not in this family - has the right to make you feel that way. You also, unfortunately, cannot choose when you fall in or out of love. It just happens, and they should all understand that you have no control over it. Being jealous isn't an act of evil. We're all selfish to some extent and being jealous is a natural emotion. I can't see that you've done anything to try to break them up - that would be the wrong doing, acting on it. Yes, your feelings will likely fade with time, but that does not make them any less valid and it infuriates me that you were made to feel this way by members of your own family." 

Ori could certainly tell Thorin was furious by the way he but off the ends of his words. "You may always come and talk to me," he promised. "I will always listen to you. You said Dori was being controlling?"

He could answer that, or he could be in huge amounts of trouble when he got home. Ori vehemently shook his head and pulled away. "I'm probably just overreacting. It's nothing."

"Is he hurting you?" Thorin asked softly, voice dangerously low.

Ori's eyes widened in surprise. "No! God no! No, no, no, he wouldn't ever do that!"

"What then?"

Thorin's eyes were narrowed in such a way that Ori knew his only options were that he could tell Thorin on his own or watch Thorin drag it out of Dori in a way that would land him in so much trouble with both of his brothers.

"I'm a legal adult and he won't give me any space!" Maybe that would be enough detail.

"Move out," Thorin suggested.

Ori shook his head. "I... I can't. I'm stuck there until I finish my bachelors."

That got a frown out of Thorin. "Why?" he asked.

"I really shouldn't say anymore, please, I don't want to cause any trouble."

There was a knock at the door that startled them both. "Everything okay in there?" It was Dis. Thorin stood to go speak to her quietly. Ori thought he heard her agree to go round several people up and his stomach sank. 

"Please, don't bring anybody else into this!" he begged. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Dori, but please, this can't get back to Nori."

Thorin kissed the top of his head. "Is Dori holding something over you to keep you from moving out like Nori?" he guessed.

Ori sighed, and gave up. "My tuition." 

Thorin patted his shoulder. "Stay here," he said, and slipped out the door.

Ori flopped face first into the sofa and stayed there. It felt like hours before anybody else came in, and he woke up to Thorin tucking a blanket around him. "You'll stay here tonight," he said. "I'll talk to everyone in the morning when they aren't completely drunk. Yelling at them when the here hungover might be fun." Ori chuckled into his blanket at the mental image and then yawned into the blanket. He was out before Thorin even flicked off the lights.

\---

Waking up the next morning filled Ori with dread. He could hear a terrible amount of noise coming from downstairs, but there was a note on the coffee table in front of him by his breakfast that suggested he stay put. He considered obeying it, but curiosity got the better of him and he snuck into the hallway. From below he could hear everybody gathered in the living room and when he snuck around the bend in the hall he could see that Dori and Nori were refusing to even look at each other and the noise came from Thorin trying to settle them all.

"Enough!" he finally bellowed, and they settled, some looking curious, some looking quite annoyed.

Was that... was that a _hickey_ on Dori's neck?

"It has come to my attention that we have a communication problem in this family," Thorin began. The sheer anger in his tone drew everyone's attention to him and the curious and annoyed looks turned to worry as he continued on.

"I will not name the guilty this time, but I want you all to be aware that I will not tolerate this from any of you. If someone comes to you upset and looking for comfort, you will not brush them off. You will not belittle their feelings or them, and you will not make excuses so you can avoid helping them heal. You will bear in mind that there are certain human emotions and conditions that cannot be controlled. I am beyond furious with the lot of you right now. Does 'family' not mean anything to you? Every member of this family deserves proper treatment and respect."

There was a moment where the group looked puzzled, and then it dawned on the faces of some of the guilty. "Oh no," Ori heard Balin murmur. "Is that how he feels?" Dori turned his head to glance at Balin and...

...was that a seco- no. ...How many hickeys did Dori _have_?

Thorin shrugged. "You'd have to ask him, though should he choose to never speak to any of you again I certainly wouldn't blame him. I am appalled by your behavior and disappointed as well."

Ori risked a glance over at Nori, who simply looked baffled. "What's going on?" he asked, and then took a good look around. Ori thought he might have been taking a headcount and he looked mightily suspicious when it came up one short. "Why isn't Ori down here?"

Nori's brotherly instincts had always been spot on.

Dwalin shifted nervously next to him and tried to tug Nori out of the room to talk, but Nori wasn't having it. They broke into a whispered, heated argument then, and Nori shrugged out of his grip. "Where's Ori?" he asked again, standing in front of Thorin. 

"Upstairs," he answered after a moment's consideration.

Nori nodded and slipped by Thorin and Ori swiftly headed back to Thorin's study. He didn't want this confrontation. He locked the door and dragged the heaviest chair he could find in front of it, hoping that would keep Nori out.

Ori really should have known better. Nori was as almost strong as Dori and he was the fastest lock pick in America. He had the door open in less than ten seconds and Ori groaned. "Go away," he pleaded, and flopped face-first back onto the sofa.

Nori left the door open a crack and came to kneel beside him. "Kiddo, please," he begged. "Does this have something to do with the way you've been acting out lately?"

Ori shook his head and tried to ignore Nori. Gently, his brother rested a hand on his back and rubbed it, trying to soothe his baby brother. "C'mon, Ori. It's me. What happened to being able to tell me everything?"

"I don't want to upset you," he murmured into the cushions. As much as he longed to throw himself at Nori and cry on him and confess everything about how horrible he had been and what an awful brother he was and apologize for it, Ori knew he couldn't. He couldn't bear to see the look of disgust on his face when Nori realized what a terrible little brother he had. It would be too much to handle, to see the rejection of him there on such a friendly face.

A tear slid down his face, and he shifted to wipe it away. "What could possibly be enough to upset me?" he asked, voice kind and gentle. Ori knew that trick, and knew the tone was meant to lure him into calming down. Nori used it on Dori all the time. Well, he wasn't going to fall for it!

"I think that might be my fault," Dwalin said from the doorway. He took a seat next to Nori on the floor by the couch, and lifted a hand to brush Ori's bangs out of his face when Ori turned to look at him in surprise. 

"Your brother's been sweet on me for ages, and there was something between us for a long time, but then-"

"Stop, please," Ori begged softly. "I've been trying so hard not to bother anybody about it, please just drop it."

Nori frowned and ignored Ori's plea. "Then I came back and we hit it off?" he guessed, reading the answer in Dwalin's face.

Dwalin nodded, and Ori sighed. "Our first date was supposed to be the night you two went out for drinks," Ori confessed quietly. "I waited at the coffee shop for two hours and you never called or answered your phone. Then you came home with Nori and I knew you'd completely forgotten me when I saw you two at breakfast."

Ori trembled on the couch, and Nori's hand stilled on his back. Dwalin swallowed hard and looked down. "I didn't even realize I had stood you up until now," he said softly. "Ori, I am terribly sorry."

"Sorry won't fix anything," Ori whispered. He sat up, then stood, pulling away from them. Nori tried to follow but Dwalin gently held him back, sensing that Ori needed space. He looked at the clock and remembered he had a paper to submit that night. That was the perfect excuse to flee. "I can't stay any longer, sorry, I have to finished editing a homework assignment that's due tonight."

They watched in stunned silence as Ori took off from the room. He knew where Dori kept his keys when he was here, and he grabbed them from their hook by the door. It wasn't until he was safely home that he stopped to text Dori and let him know where he was.

_Sorry had to leave. Got hw due tonight. Took car. If you want me to pick you up later let me know._

He would be in so much trouble for taking the car without asking when Dori got home, but Ori found that, safe at home and locked in his room where he could cry without judgement into his pillow, that he really didn't care.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people get together, the crisis is solved, and everybody probably lives happily ever after

Dori looked at the message on his phone in more than a little consternation. There was a part of him that wanted to be angry at Ori for taking the car without asking, but after catching hell from Thorin and hearing from him, Dwalin, and Nori what had happened Dori didn't have it in himself to be mad. He was afraid for his baby brother, the boy he had raised as his own son. He was ashamed of his own actions, and of brushing off poor Ori's feelings. He was worried about Nori, who flat out refused to speak to Dwalin at the moment for the way he'd hurt his baby brother.

If he was angry at anybody, he was angry at Dwalin.

The man was up in Thorin's study at the moment, having been taken up there by him after Thorin, Balin, and Dori had heard his confession. No doubt Thorin was laying into him. Nori had gone outside to smoke and help Dis clean up. Balin and Dori had long since finished straightening out the mess in the kitchen and had settled down together on the couch in the den. Dori had his head in his lap, trying to relax and calm down as he felt Balin's fingers sliding gently through his hair. He took deep breaths, tried to reason through his emotions, and had almost reached a state that might have been approaching Nirvana when his text alert went off.

Both he and Balin were startled, and Dori huffed at his phone beforehand checking it. It was from Ori. He glanced up at Balin and unlocked his phone. It was such a normal sounding text.

_We're out of milk._

Dori frowned at the screen. _I'll pick some up later. Are you okay?_ , he sent.

"I wonder if I ought to just go home and check on him," Dori pondered aloud.

"We talked about this, love, give him his space," Balin advised. "He's an adult, Dori, you have to let him learn to handle himself at some point."

That didn't mean he had to like it. Dori sighed and sat up, leaning against Balin instead. The strong arm that wrapped around him and pulled him close was comforting. Dori rested his head against Balin's chest and draped an arm over his waist. "He could be packing to run away right now," he protested, though he mostly doubted Ori ever would.

Balin kissed the top of his head and rested his other arm over Dori's. "I think we both know he wouldn't, do it, but all right. Suppose he did run away and get a job. He's an adult, Dori. He needs space to learn and grow and become his own person. You have to trust in yourself that you did a decent enough job in raising him. Ori's come out a fine, sharp young man, perhaps a little too selfless, but if he's going to have a flaw I think that's a fine one to have, don't you?"

Dori craned his head and pouted up at him, and Balin kissed his nose. "He'd quite a bit like you in that department, I think. Always giving, and giving, and giving, and never quite knowing when it's time to stop and accept something in return. You did a very good job raising him, and he's never given you a reason to distrust you has he?"

"Not since he was seven and he lied about cutting Nori's hair off in his sleep," Dori recalled with a fond smile.

Balin chuckled, and the sound warmed Dori's heart and cheered his spirits. "I had quite forgotten about that. I do think he learned his lesson when you let Nori cut his in turn."

"Maybe," Dori said. He frowned and cuddled a bit closer. "Am I being selfish in not wanting him to leave? I'm not ready to live on my own again. The house will be too quiet, and Nori will never come visit if Ori is gone."

There was comfortable silence between them as Balin thought that over. "If it's company you desire all alone in that big, empty house, I would be perfect happy to make sure you're very pleasantly occupied." His tone was suggestive enough that Dori blushed slightly. "We certainly wouldn't have to hide our activities for fear of keeping him up." The arm wrapped around him slid down to his buttocks to touch and squeeze for a moment before innocent moving to rest on his hip that they both knew was bruised from Balin's fingers on them the previous night.

"You do raise a good point," Dori agreed.

"I'll happily raise it each night if I must. You don't have to be alone, my dear, but you do need to give him whatever space he requires and be completely supportive of it." Balin kissed the top of his head again as his phone went off. "I am here for you."

_I'm ready to talk. Do you need me to come get you?_

Dori showed the text to Balin. "Do you want a ride?" he asked.

"Would you mind staying?" Dori asked. "Please?"

"Not at all, my dear. Not at all."

\---

Nori had never been as furious with anybody in his entire life as he was with Dwalin in this very moment. After he had restrained him from going after Ori Nori had turned around and clobbered him one. Thorin and Bofur had to drag him screaming out of the room and it had taken him an entire pack of smokes to calm down outside. Bofur put him to work helping Dis, certain the work would distract Nori, and his best friend had been right. Nori caught him up to speed on what he knew and had nearly punched Bofur despite the shame in his voice when he'd admitted his own part in the problem.

Bofur had given him an empty smile and a shrug. "I'm sure I'll catch hell from Thorin later for it too. If it was you and Bombur I'd be having a hard time not throwing punches so feel free to hit if you need to."

It hadn't been, but at least he understood. Bofur and Dis let him rant himself into calmness and when he was feeling better and out of cigarettes Bofur had gone and gotten the money for it from his husband and slipped out to the corner store to buy him more. Nori had gone through half of that pack before he felt calm again, though he found himself balling his hands into fists and taking deep breaths at the sight of Dori's face. He'd known Dori was a little... controlling... but some of the shit he'd been pulling? Made Nori see red.

Balin took control, putting himself between him and Dori and informed him that they were going to check on Ori, and did he want to come? Nori shook his head and said he'd be by later, but he had a feeling he needed to talk to Dwalin about this first. They left, and Nori pillowed his head on Bofur's shoulder and refused to let himself actually cry about it.

"Can I stay with you guys tonight?" he muttered into Bofur's shirt.

"I'll have to check with Thorin, but I don't see why not," he said. "Do you still want to stay if he's given Dwalin permission?"

Nori shook his head. "Probably not. I don't think this is the sort of thing I can forgive in one night."

Bofur patted his back. "Can't say I blame you there. If Thorin did something like this he'd be sleeping in his car."

"Which one?" Nori muttered under his breath. What with Bofur heading Bifur's toy company after his accident and Thorin's jewelry companies, they had between them quite a few cars that Thorin greatly enjoyed tinkering with on the weekends.

"The Firebird's doors are off at the moment, and the upholstery in the middle of being replaced, so probably that one," Bofur decided. 

"Make Dwalin sleep in it then."

Bofur chuckled and patted his head. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Thorin gesturing to him. He ruffled Nori's hair and stood. "Be right back," he said, and stepped into the kitchen.

Thorin looked more grumpy than he'd been the time he'd had to go bail Kili and Fili out of jail for some stupid fraternity prank or another at three in the morning and he'd missed his flight to Canada to check out some of the mining arm of his company's newest diamond mines. Bofur didn't think he'd ever seen Thorin so upset in his life, excepting that time Smaug had nearly managed to usurp him. It was not a look he liked on him. Thorin was intimidating to most on the best of days, but when he was truly angry about something he was utterly _frightening_. 

Reminding himself that Thorin was only human and wasn't - he hoped - about to take his head off already over this, Bofur lifted up a hand to his cheek, hoping to calm him down. That Thorin leaned into the touch was a good sign, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

Those strong hands he was so fond of rested on his hips and Thorin pressed their foreheads together. It was clear he was trying to take a moment to collect himself, and Bofur could give him that. He rested his hands on Thorin's biceps, thumbs caressing him through the fabric of his favorite blue button down. The gods themselves had to have made that shirt, Bofur was convinced of it. The color was perfection on his husband's skin, brought out his eyes just right, and the cut of it...

Oh, the cut of it.

Thorin pulled away slightly after a short moment. "How is Nori?" he asked Bofur, glancing to the window. Nori was smoking again.

"I think he'll have lung cancer by tonight. He already smokes more than either of us and this situation isn't helping. Nori's asked to spend the night."

His husband tugged him closer and sighed. "So has Dwalin." 

Bofur was silent for awhile, content to rest his head against Thorin's shoulder, feel his arms around him, and breathe in the smell of him. It was relaxing, and Bofur felt some of the emotional stress drain away. "You don't have to sort this for them," he said when he felt he ought to get back to Nori.

"I know," Thorin said. A small smile tugged at his lips. "I don't intend to, unless they're all too stupid to handle themselves still. Think you can coax Nori into coming to talk to Dwalin?"

They exchanged a quick kiss, and Bofur pulled away. "I can try."

\---

The house was completely silent when Dori and Balin entered, which was unnerving on its own. Ori typically listened to music constantly, and not hearing anything was worse than even the tackiest music he played to annoy his brother. Balin pressed a hand to the small of his back, and Dori was pleased when he followed him up the stairs and down the hall after they had paused to hang up their jackets.

"Ori?" Dori called, heading toward his bedroom.

Ori's head popped out of his room right as they reached it, startling them all and causing them all to laugh about it. Dori took that as a good sign, and the three of them went into Ori's room to sit and talk. Ori ok the bed, Dori his desk chair, and Balin his armchair.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why is Balin here?" Ori asked. Dori could see from the light coming through the window that Ori had been crying, but he seemed a lot more calm now.

"To keep me from making any irrational decisions and to make sure that I listen to what you have to say." Balin nodded, and gave Ori a kind, apologetic smile.

Ori rolled his eyes. "Look, I can see the hickeys all over Dori's neck, you don't have to be shy about anything. If you're here because you're fucking and he finds you comforting, that's fine too."

Dori and Balin's jaws dropped. Ori shrugged and looked away. "I told you not to leave visible marks!" Dori hissed at Balin.

"Don't start on me right now over an innocent mistake. I'm sure Ori doesn't want to hear the details." Ori nodded fervently in agreement with Balin, and Dori conceded temporary defeat and sighed.

"Later, then," he promised darkly (to which Balin chuckled), then turned to look at his baby brother. Ori wouldn't meet his gaze. He thought that it would be better if he spoke up first, so he took a deep breath, and began.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting," he said. Smoothing things over with Dori was probably for the better, especially if he'd accidentally broken up Nori and Dwalin because then Dori would be sick with worry for Nori again and he preferred Dori being sort of happy, if on his back all the time over every little thing. 

Even if it made his stomach twist and his chest ache in a way he wasn't used to. Apologizing made him feel sick, but it was the only thing he could do. Thorin had told him he hadn't done anything wrong, but it wasn't like he'd seen or knew all of it. Thorin could be wrong too. "I've been selfish and rude, and thinking only of my own feelings," he continued. "I'll apologize to everyone else later after ai apologize to Nori and Dwalin, but I'm sorry this got blown so out of proportion and everyone got yelled at. I will try to control my emotions better in the-"

Dori cut him off by moving to the bed and tugging Ori into a tight hug. "Don't you dare apologize," he whispered, voice tight and quiet with emotion. "You have done nothing wrong."

"But I-"

"No. I have been much too hard on you lately, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't realize what I was doing, but I'm going to try and give you the space you need. If you still want to move into the dorms next semester, we'll make it work somehow. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about your feelings. I didn't realize Dwalin had stood you up the night Nori first brought him home." Dori pressed a kiss to his forehead and held him a little tighter for a moment.

Ori let Dori hold him for a few minutes, then he pulled back, looking thoughtful. "Does this mean I can get a job too?" he asked, voice hopeful.

Dori shook his head. "I want you focusing on your grades, Ori."

"But I'll need work history to get a good job when I graduate," he pointed out. "What it I just worked part time somewhere, and then if my grades slip, I'll cut back my hours or quit?"

Balin's eyes were on him, and Dori looked up to meet them. The look he got clearly told him to give in to Ori's probably very reasonable request, but Dori wasn't certain he ought to. Another moment was spent in hesitation and Balin politely cleared his throat. 

Dori sighed. "Fine."

Ori cheered and hugged him, and seeing Ori finally smile was worth it. Arms wrapped around his baby brother, he glanced up at Balin to see his reaction, and was satisfied when he saw a look of approval on his face. 

Seemingly feeling more cheered, Ori opted to change topics. "So... you two. What's going on there?"

The change in conversation also got a small smile out of Dori. "We've been casually sleeping together for awhile," he explained, "but last night we officially got together."

"I'm happy for you," Ori said, still smiling a little. His smile wasn't empty like it was when he looked at Nori and Dwalin, and that pleased Dori, because he knew Ori meant it.

"Thank you," they said together. Dori tugged Ori into another hug and Ori came willingly, seeming much happier now. Maybe, he thought, everything would be okay after all.

\---

Dwalin wasn't looking forward to having to talk to Nori about this. Being chewed out by Thorin had been bad enough, especially after having already been yelled at by his own boyfriend. He knew he deserved it - deserved worse in all honesty - and he needed to do some serious groveling to apologize.

There was a soft rap at the door to his best friend's study before it opened to reveal Thorin and Bofur with Nori trapped between the two of them. The acrid smell of too much cigarette smoke stung his nose. It was definitely Nori's brand, and Dwalin could easily deduce that his lover had been smoking way too much over this.

"Hey," he said softly. Dwalin knew his eyes and voice were ragged with unshed tears of guilt, so he tried to keep them both lowered so Nori wouldn't see the shame in them. "I'm sorry."

Bofur and Thorin steered Nori over to the couch and sat him down on the opposite end from Dwalin. The two of them plopped onto the love seat directly across from the couch (and conveniently in the way of the door), obviously intending to supervise this exercise in Dwalin's humiliation. Dwalin turned to look at Nori, and when he glanced up and their eyes met, Nori froze for a moment at what he saw and then stubbornly looked away.

"I'm pretty furious with you, Fundinson. You'll have to do better than that," Nori told him, looking out one of the windows that was over the backyard instead of at him. 

Dwalin sighed softly, and reached out to rest his hand on Nori's shoulder. It was shrugged off, and he drew back, stung. "Aside from apologizing to your brother - which I will - what would you have me do? Haven't we been happy together so far? I made a very serious mistake, I acknowledge that and I feel terrible, but I don't know what to do to fix it."

Nori was quiet for a very long time, and just when Dwalin thought everything between them was over, his boyfriend sighed and flopped backward, head landing squarely in Dwalin's lap as he glared up at him. "You made my baby brother cry," he pointed out. "That's a pretty big deal."

Instead of pointing out how hypocritical Nori was being (how many times had he made Ori cry with his bad behavior?), Dwalin nodded seriously and carded his fingers through Nori's hair. "It is," he agreed, "and I'll grovel and apologize as soon as he's ready to talk to me."

"What about me?" Nori huffed. 

"I'll spend every day making it up to you if you want, but I don't think you're really the victim here," he politely pointed out. Nori swatted his stomach for it, but he smiled just slightly and Dwalin felt the relief flood him. 

"Okay, fine," he said. Nori rolled to his feet in one graceful motion that Dwalin was always envious of because he knew he'd never manage it. Nori turned around to offer Dwalin a hand up, and Thorin and Bofur raised an eyebrow at him.

They did look pleased though, even if Thorin barely showed it. "And where are you two headed?" Bofur asked.

Nori gave him a small smile. "Home to change," he answered, "then probably over to Dori's if he's got the kid calmed down. I need to have words with him."

"Good luck," Bofur wished with a cheerful smile and wave. "Let us know how it goes."

"We will," he promised, and turned to drag Dwalin from the room.

\---

The car ride home was awkward and silent, Nori seemingly content to let Dwalin suffer in silence, but the make up sex Nori ad initiated as soon as the front door was closed had been fantastic and everything had felt almost back to normal until Dori had texted and given Nori the okay for him and Dwalin to come over. His lover seemed to take great satisfaction in seeing Dwalin get nervous.

Nori, being family, didn't even bother knocking, which meant Dwalin didn't even have time to brace himself and father his wits before they entered. Balin was there, which was of small comfort to him, and that he greeted Dwalin the same as always was encouraging. The look he got from Dori pretty much stole all of that away. 

"Ori's in his room," he near-snapped, and Dwalin nodded and headed up. He heard Nori cheerfully engage Dori and knew that there would be a yelling contest out there soon enough.

By the time he raised a hand to knock on the closed door the yelling had started in earnest. Ori opened the door a crack and sighed up at him. "Who's yelling at who?" he asked, and opened it enough after a second for Dwalin to come.

"I think Nori's yelling at Dori. He heard about some of Dori's weird conditions for you and he's pretty furious at how he's been treating you," Dwalin answered as the door closed behind him. Now that they were alone, he had to figure out how to say what needed saying. Ori flopped down on his bed, Dwalin leaned back against the door.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "about everything. I never would have been good enough for you, if that's how I was going to treat you. You can do far better than me - and you should. Maybe someone closer to your age who will treat you right and be able to match your wits. Whatever I can do to make this up to you, I will do."

Ori studied him silently, taking in his words, before he leaned back on his elbows on the bed. It was a pose Dwalin had always found appealing, but he stayed his eyes and didn't let them roam. "What if I asked you to leave Nori? What if you're the only person in world that I could ever want?" he asked.

Dwalin gave him an apologetic look. "Then I'd have to be sorry forever. Nori's the one that I want, Ori. He's a perfect fit."

A pout appeared on Ori's face. "Why?" he asked.

That he didn't even need to think about it surprised Dwalin. It wasn't like he had spent a ton of time analyzing his feelings for the middle brother of this completely insane family. "Because I love him," he answered quietly as Balin interrupted the yelling going on downstairs. "I love him, and I can't imagine my life without him. I'd marry him if I didn't think he'd kill me for asking."

If Dwalin wasn't expecting the scrutinizing look he got, he definitely wasn't expecting the small smile he got as Ori sat up. "I suppose he can keep you then," he decided as he sat up. "Fili spent a good deal of the last hour texting me and it helped. I won't make Nori miserable for my own happiness, not after the life he's had, and Dori sleeps so much better now. But if I have a hard time around you for awhile... try to understand?"

It was a beyond reasonable request. Dwalin nodded. "I can do that. And if you ever need anything, you let me know."

Ori nodded in agreement, then stood. "Well, shall we go try to pry them away from each other to cool down?" he suggested as the fighting started again.

Dwalin opened the door, and gestured for Ori to lead the way. "After you," he said.

\---  
Epilogue

When Dori and Balin finally tied the knot in Thorin's backyard ten months later, life was looking up for everyone. Dwalin and Nori had yet to split up, Bombur's wife was pregnant with child number eight, and everybody was happy and healthy. Ori felt much better about Nori-and-Dwalin now, and happily stood with beside him for their brother. As they said their "I-do"s, he glanced over at the chair Fili sat in and shared a smile with him.

Maybe one day, if all continued to go well, they would exchange wedding vows too.


End file.
